USC Hires Carroll

Pete Carroll, fired from his two NFL coaching
jobs and out of college football for 17 years, was hired today to
succeed Paul Hackett as coach at Southern California.

Carroll was to be introduced at an afternoon news conference.

Carroll wasn’t USC’s first choice, and his selection was
expected to meet with disapproval from some boosters and alumni.

However, as other candidates went by the wayside, he moved to
the top of the list by impressing the hierarchy at USC.

Plus, the need to have a coach in place grew greater every day,
what with this being a prime time for recruiting.

Other Candidates Considered

Carroll hasn’t coached in college since 1983, when he was
assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Pacific. He has
no past ties to the Trojans, although his daughter, Jaime, is a
freshman on USC’s women’s volleyball team.

Hackett was fired Nov. 27 — two days after the Trojans completed
a 5-7 season — their first losing campaign since 1991 and only
their third in 39 years.

A winner of eight national championships, USC went only 19-18 in
Hackett’s three seasons. He was fired with two years left on his
contract.

When Hackett was fired, athletic director Mike Garrett said he
wanted a coach who was a proven winner at the collegiate level, and
immediately took steps in that direction.

However, Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson and Oregon coach
Mike Bellotti both signed contract extensions at their respective
schools within a week of Hackett’s firing, taking themselves out of
the running.

Since then, San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley, an assistant at
USC from 1993-96 and head coach at Oregon State in 1997-98, was
believed to be the leading candidate.

However, the two sides were unable to complete a deal, and the
Chargers didn’t make it easier by saying they wouldn’t allow Riley
out of the final three years of his contract, at least before the
end of the NFL season Dec. 24.

In addition, the Chargers have a 1-13 record and are 9-21 in
Riley’s two years there.

Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick also was mentioned as a
candidate in recent days. He told his players Thursday that he
planned to stay at CSU, where he recently signed a two-year
contract extension.

Carroll Had Mixed Success in NFL

Carroll has been out of coaching this year after being fired by
the New England Patriots after the 1999 season. The Patriots were
27-21 in three years under Carroll, reaching the playoffs twice.

Carroll also was coach of the New York Jets in 1994, but was
fired after a 6-10 season. He was an assistant for the Jets 10
years ago, when USC associate athletic director Daryl Gross was a
scout for the team.

Carroll also served as an assistant at Arkansas, Iowa State,
Ohio State and North Carolina State before joining the Buffalo
Bills as an assistant in 1984.

He spent one year with the Bills, five with the Miami Dolphins
and five with the Jets — the final one as head coach.

Carroll was an assistant for the San Francisco 49ers for two
years before taking the Patriots’ job in 1997.

USC has played in 28 Rose Bowl games, winning 20, but has
appeared in only one since beating Michigan 17-10 Jan. 1, 1990. The
Trojans haven’t won a national championship since 1978.